Wide receiver Allen Robinson looks like a lame duck with the Chicago Bears, so which NFL teams should try to capitalize on that with a blockbuster trade?
Fans of the Chicago Bears are certainly hoping that one of the most quarterback-hapless franchises in the NFL over recent memory can finally remedy that after trading up to draft Justin Fields this offseason. Unfortunately, if Fields doesn’t take the field as the starter early and often in the 2021 season, he might not get to line up with the team’s biggest pass-catching weapon, Allen Robinson.
Chicago signed Robinson to the franchise tag this offseason and tried to work out a long-term extension with the wide receiver. The two sides were unable to reach an agreement, however, and now it appears that the Bears are going to watch the wideout walk come next offseason. But might it be smart of the organization to try and get something in return?
Put simply, if the Bears were to trade Allen Robinson at some point during this season, they might not get unreal value but they could get somethingin return rather than losing him in free agentcy and getting nothing but a compensatory pick in 2023 to show for it.
So, whether teams are looking for a short-term fix or a wide receiver they might try to keep around long term, these five NFL teams should be calling the Bears about a Robinson trade.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have to be ecstatic about landing reigning Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith. After watching a receiving corps that was absolutely depleted and largely devoid of talent last season, Philadelphia made a bold statement as they traded up a couple of picks in order to land the Alabama product and, hopefully, give their offense a jolt.
Smith alone, however, does not fix the Eagles wide receiver corps. Jalen Reagor showed next to nothing as a rookie (even as a first-round pick), Travis Fulgham needs to put together more than just a few games and the rest of the group is, in essence, unproven.
Now, it’s worth noting that we don’t totally know if Jalen Hurts is the long-term answer at quarterback. But if he comes out and continues to show a lot of promise, the Eagles owe it to him to try and make his life easier, namely by trying to trade for Allen Robinson.
Pairing a bigger-bodied target like Robinson with the uber-versatile Smith would be a dream for a young quarterback to work with and would give the incoming wideout arguably the best quarterback he’s played with in his career. I don’t expect the Eagles to contend in 2021 but, if they are better than expected, they could look to add Robinson and then begin working on re-signing him as a long-term option.
4. Los Angeles Chargers
What Justin Herbert did during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Chargers was nothing short of remarkable. Even though he was a top-10 pick and had those type of expectations on his shoulders coming into the NFL, the fact that he was able to immediately take over the offense and look the part of the one of the best quarterbacks in the league last season was incredible — even more so considering that he was forced into action by Tyrod Taylor getting stabbed with a needle in the lung (by a doctor) less than an hour before a game.
The Chargers have Herbert in a strong situation, one that they improved this offseason by addressing the offensive line in both free agency and the draft. Moreover, Herbert showed he can succeed with his weapons already in place, namely Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler. But LA would love to add another player to that mix and, if Mike Williams can’t stay healthy, perhaps the Bolts could turn their sights to Robinson.
Allen and Robinson — funny how that works out — would be a dynamic pairing. The former is a crafty route-runner who isn’t necessarily the best or most explosive athlete while Robinson has freaky tools in addition to a lot of polish. That 1-2 punch with a quarterback like Herbert could set up something truly special from the young signal-caller and help the Chargers craft a forthcoming run at contention.
3. New England Patriots
Bill Belichick must have really not liked what he saw from the New England Patriots last season. After the team’s first year in two decades without Tom Brady at the helm went extremely poorly, the head coach and general manager got on the phone and started working to ensure that wasn’t going to happen again, especially in free agency.
In particular, the Patriots and Belichick made sure that Cam Newton and/or Mac Jones wouldn’t be trying to figure out who they could throw the ball to this season and beyond. New England landed the two best tight ends available, Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, while also signing veteran receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. Those are big upgrades.
And yet, it’s still a bit underwhelming to look at what the Patriots have to offer in the way of pass-catchers. When Agholor, Bourner or Jakobi Meyers (take your pick) is the top wide receiver option in an offense, that’s not a comforting notion. However, as New England invested in Jones as a supposed quarterback for the future, maybe they could get him an elite wideout as well.
Allen Robinson would fit that bill and would offer the Pats the opportunity to really make a splash in building for their new era. The combination of Jones and Robinson along with their other veteran additions would make this roster look much more enticing moving forward.
2. Indianapolis Colts
Admittedly, the Carson Wentz injury early in training camp complicates the outlook for the Indianapolis Colts. With the former Eagles quarterback healthy, it was easy to say that an asset-rich team should be able to put the reclamation project under center in the best position to succeed by improving his pass-catchers. Without him on the field, the situation is clouded.
In the simplest terms, the Colts don’t have a surefire contigency plan for Wentz on the roster (or perhaps at all). They took a big swing in trading with the Eagles for the former first-round pick in hopes that he could find his footing. What they failed to account for was a player who has endured his share of injuries and has now succumbed to another.
None of that sounds that promising but, at the same time, this Colts roster is built to win now. So why would they not explore the possibility of bringing in Allen Robinson to further ensure that, whenever they get either Wentz or a competent quarterback on the field, they are in an even better spot if they want to contend.
Robinson would easily be the WR1 in Indianapolis but would also give the franchise a nice mix of talent and skillsets to work with. And again, whenever Wentz comes back or if they have to find plan B, that quarterback would have a ton of high-end options at his disposal.
1. Baltimore Ravens
There are legitimate reasons to be excited about the evolution of the Baltimore Ravens offense. We heard about that coming into last season after Lamar Jackson had just won MVP but, between the hardships of practicing caused by COVID and the fact that the wide receiver group was lacking, it never fully materialized for John Harbaugh’s club.
Baltimore made strong moves to address that this offseason, first signing veteran Sammy Watkins in free agency as a high-upside, high-variance addition but also by using a first-round pick on Rashod Bateman, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher whose smooth route-running and all-around approach should be perfect for Jackson and the Ravens. But they could still use more.
Allen Robinson would be an absolute game-changer. For as good as I think Bateman can be, he doesn’t have the physical ceiling that the current Bears receiver does. Moreover, Robinson doesn’t have the injury history (and is also just plainly better) that Watkins does. He’s the No. 1 type of option we haven’t seen paired with the 2019 NFL MVP.
The Ravens are clearly working towards not just contending now but towards contending for a long time. As they try to work out an extension for Jackson, they could also help him be the best version of himself by adding a star talent like Robinson for him to take the next step in his development with.